The question is no longer whether Virginia Commonwealth belongs. Instead, it's: Who can stop the Rams? Bradford Burgess scored 23 points and 11th-seeded VCU made it three victories in 5 days yesterday, routing third-seeded Purdue, 94-76, in Chicago, to earn a trip to the Southwest Regional semifinals. VCU's remarkable run sends the Rams to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. With their fans chanting "VCU, VCU" as the final seconds ticked off the clock, they've now ousted Southern Cal, Georgetown and Purdue since Wednesday night.

Michigan made Havoc look helpless. Now Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and the rest of the cool-headed Wolverines are part of the school's longest NCAA tournament run in nearly two decades. Mitch McGary had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and fourth-seeded Michigan breezed through Virginia Commonwealth's vaunted pressure with a clinical performance, beating the fifth-seeded Rams, 78-53, Saturday in Auburn Hills, Mich., to advance to the regional semifinals for the first time since 1994.

Two years ago, at 300 pounds, Marc Jackson had trouble scoring five points in a basketball game. Last night, after having made the last of five official visits to colleges with Division I programs, the 6-9, 245-pound center at Roman Catholic signed a letter of intent with Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. "I think about that all the time, how much has happened," Jackson said. "I know I'm not finished, either. My game is not yet complete. I'm going to be a much better player as time goes on. " Jackson, who played for William Penn as a sophomore then transferred to Roman (and lost 50 pounds)

VIRGINIA Commonwealth basketball coach Shaka Smart on Wednesday ended speculation that he might take the open job at Illinois by announcing that he'll stay with the Rams. The decision by the young coach was cause for celebration among VCU fans and disappointment for their Illini counterparts - Illinois' search for a replacement for fired coach Bruce Weber has begun to resemble the search last year for a new football coach, when the school's top choices reportedly turned down the Illini.

Virginia Commonwealth, Old Dominion, Northeastern, and William and Mary advanced to the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament yesterday. Brandon Rozzell's three consecutive three-pointers fueled a late VCU spurt, and the Rams went on to topple George Mason 75-60. Larry Sanders had his 12th double-double of the season for the Rams (22-8) with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Ryan Pearson led the Patriots (17-14) with 22 points. The Rams face archrival Old Dominion in a semifinal today at 3 p.m. The top-seeded Monarchs (24-8)

Brandon Rozzell led four players in double figures and VCU made 12 three-pointers to stun Georgetown with a 74-56 win that showed any remaining doubters the Rams do, indeed, belong in the NCAA Tournament. Rozzell tied his career high with six three-pointers and finished with 26 points, while Joey Rodriguez had 17 points and seven assists. Bradford Burgess and Jamie Skeen added 12 each. It is the first time the 11th-seeded Rams (25-11) have won more than one game in the NCAA Tournament, and they'll now play third-seeded Purdue tomorrow.

IT CERTAINLY WAS an emphatic closing statement. And it was probably enough to just about ensure that Temple's basketball team, one of many that were still supposedly straddling the dreaded bubble, will be part of the Madness for the sixth consecutive March. Sunday afternoon at a jammed Liacouras Center, the Owls (23-8, 11-5 Atlantic 10) finished the regular season with their seventh straight victory, 84-76 over 21st-ranked Virginia Commonwealth (24-7, 12-4). It gave them the third seed in the conference tourney, which begins Thursday in Brooklyn.

HOUSTON - In the end, when you lose there is only the losing that matters and not the winning that came before, however wonderful, however unexpected, however affirming of everything you have preached and believed. Shaka Smart and the Virginia Commonwealth Rams didn't have to be lucky enough to reach the Final Four this season, and that means them no disrespect. Getting this far requires luck, whether it is a first-time trip or a return appearance by an NCAA power. Things have to go right.

St. Joseph's defense was able to shear 30 points off Virginia Commonwealth's scoring average in yesterday's nonconference game at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. Unfortunately, what little offense the Hawks had vanished in the closing minutes, and the Rams prevailed, 54-47. VCU had averaged 84.5 points in its first two games. Junior Quanitra Hollingsworth, a 6-foot-5 center, led the Rams (3-0) with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Krystal Vaughn, who beat the Hawks (2-1) at the close of last year's meeting in Richmond, Va., added 17 points.

PITTSBURGH - Villanova center Daniel Ochefu was just playing, not really aware of the numbers on the scoreboard. "Their coach called a timeout," Ochefu said, and so he looked up at the board Thursday at the Consol Energy Center, kind of focused in, and was surprised to see Villanova up by "26 or 28," the senior said. "A nice little run. " Villanova takes off on those nice ones so often they almost seem scheduled. It wasn't just Lafayette that fell victim in its NCAA East Regional mismatch.

AMHERST, Mass. - The last time Phil Martelli's St. Joseph's Hawks won a road game, they hadn't even unwrapped their Christmas presents. Wednesday night, DeAndre' Bembry gave the Hawks a career-high scoring performance and a big Atlantic Ten win over Massachusetts. Bembry had a career-best 33 points to go with 14 rebounds and four assists as the Hawks (12-15, 6-9 A-10) ended a nine-game road losing streak, and a three-game skid overall, with an 82-71 win over UMass (16-12, 9-6)

THIS PAST WEEK reminded me why my favorite sporting event to watch is either a college basketball game or an NFL tilt (baseball, however, is my overall favorite season to follow). Here in Philadelphia, it was a truly exciting week of college basketball, and things are looking up for our local teams. It started last Friday when I watched my alma mater, Penn, win at Cornell. Probably only a handful of us watched the telecast, but we saw a truly exciting game. Cornell roared out to a big lead, but the Quakers fought back gamely.

Jordan Price has gone on scoring sprees before, but the La Salle sophomore can't remember a hotter five minutes than the run he experienced Wednesday in a 74-69 double-overtime win at Virginia Commonwealth. In the second overtime, Price scored all 12 of his team's points as La Salle beat a VCU team that is in a four-way tie for first place in the Atlantic Ten. "I can't think of ever scoring that many in an overtime period," Price said Thursday, still trying to digest the enormity of his performance.

RICHMOND, Va. - Guard Jordan Price scored 34 points, including 12 in the second overtime, and grabbed 17 rebounds as La Salle stunned No. 20 VCU last night, 74-69. Price, who also had five assists, hit a three-pointer with 29 seconds left in regulation that forced overtime. The Explorers (14-10, 6-5 Atlantic 10) also got 12 points each from Jerrell Wright and Cleon Roberts in winning for the fourth time in five games. "It was obviously a great basketball game," said La Salle coach John Giannini.

RICHMOND, Va. - The statistics certainly didn't lie to St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli on Saturday afternoon at the Siegel Center. The Hawks had 10 turnovers in each half; allowed No. 20 Virginia Commonwealth to make 12 of 23 shots from three-point range; and lost, 89-74, after trailing by as many as 27 points midway through the second half. "I believe the game is always numerical. And here is the number: We had 20 turnovers," said Martelli, whose team trailed by 9-0 just minutes into the game.

BROOKLYN - Villanova had gone the entire first half without a live-ball turnover against "Havoc. " Then, the Wildcats started the second half against Virginia Commonwealth with an open-court giveaway, followed quickly by another turnover. The Rams scored six consecutive points. An explosion seemed imminent at the Barclays Center in the first semifinal of the Progressive Legends Classic. Villanova coach Jay Wright obviously sensed a big run coming, so he called timeout. And he was dead on. There was an explosion - from his team.

NEW YORK - Villanova discovered Monday night how much easier the game of basketball can be when you make shots. The 12th-ranked Wildcats entered the Legends Classic semifinal against No. 14 Virginia Commonwealth hitting just 26 percent of their three-point attempts. But they found their shooting stroke from deep in the second half and rolled to a 77-53 victory over the Rams at the Barclays Center. Villanova (4-0) advanced to the championship game Tuesday night against No. 19 Michigan, a 70-63 winner over Oregon.

Holding a 10-stroke lead heading into the final round, the Kutztown women's golf team held off West Chester on Sunday to win its Fall Invite by 1 stroke at Berkleigh Golf Club. Hope Giordano (Council Rock South) won her first tournament as a Golden Bear. She carded an 80 for a two-day total of 159, finishing 5 strokes ahead of the Golden Rams' Lacey Bensing. Women's Soccer La Salle 3, VCU 1 - Kelsey Haycook netted a pair of goals in the first half before Anna Dolhansky (Triton)